Marlon Byrd, left, is congratulated by Pedro Alvarez after hitting a solo home run in the second inning. / Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports

by John Perrotto, Special for USA TODAY Sports

by John Perrotto, Special for USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH â?? The Pittsburgh Pirates' fans had waited so long to see postseason baseball that they seemed to let go of 20 years of frustration by reaching ear-splitting decibel levels during pre-game introductions.

Then they really got excited once the game started.

The Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 on Tuesday night in the National League Wild Card game as Russell Martin became the second player in franchise history to have a multi-homer game in the postseason and Francisco Liriano allowed one run in seven innings.

However, to a man, the Pirates insisted that the true stars of the game were the 40,487 fans that jammed PNC Park, a record for the 12-year-old facility, and watch their team move on to the NL Division Series to face the Cardinals beginning Thursday at St. Louis.

"This is still ringing in my ears," manager Clint Hurdle said 15 minutes after the game. "When we took the field for the opening announcements, they let it rip. The park showed up tonight. Our fan base showed up tonight. That rotunda (in left field) was jammed. And they kept it going all night long.

"If our city ever thinks they don't make a difference, all they got to do is watch the tape from tonight's game. We felt confident going in. They pushed it forward even more from start to finish of that game. Very special evening personally. Obviously for everybody involved and tied to this."

The fans seemed to rattle losing pitcher Johnny Cueto in the second inning when Marlon Byrd and Martin hit solo home runs to put the Pirates ahead 2-0.

The fans began chanting "Cue-to" after Byrd hit the home run. Two batters later, Cueto dropped the ball while looking in toward home plate for a sign from catcher Ryan Hanigan and Martin ripped the next pitch into the left-center field bleachers.

"That's a hockey move right there. That's for the goalie," Hurdle said. "That's when I took from it. It's a sign that you got a chance to get something good done. You got a chance to push somebody maybe off the mound, out of the goal. Very similar circumstances."

Martin also homered in the seventh and joined Bob Robertson, who went deep three times in the 1971 National League Championship Series against San Francisco, as the only Pirates with multi-homer playoff games.

Growing up in Canada, Martin was familiar with that kind of hockey chanting and he felt it definitely helped push the Pirates on their way to the victory.

"I don't know what was going on in his mind, in his head at that point," Martin said. "Definitely felt like the crowd had an impact on his psyche a little bit. Kind of lost rhythm for a little bit."

Reds manager Dusty Baker downplayed any effect the crowd might have had on Cueto, who gave up four runs â?? three earned â?? in 3 1/3 innings.

"He couldn't get the ball where he wanted," Baker said. "Usually he can throw that ball through the eye of a needle. Tonight he was up.

"If you've ever been to winter ball, I mean, that was quiet compared to the Dominican (Repbulic) where he's from."

The fans saved their last â?? and loudest â?? cheers for the final out when closer Jason Grilli got Zack Cozart to ground out to second base.

"I was at Yankee Stadium in college (at Seton Hall) and saw some crowds, and saw a great crowd at the MetroDome once but this was unbelievable," Grilli said. "This is definitely a baseball town."